Seize the moment
Max was sitting on the beach in front of the hostel where he was staying in Koh Phangan, his feet dug into the warm sand.
It was a glorious day, the sun was shining, and he was attempting to read a book, but a boy from Newcastle kept talking to him about the full-moon party that was coming up in a few weeks.
It was just past four o’clock in the afternoon, and it was his second day in Koh Phangan, after an amazing week in Bangkok.
‘I cannae wait, man. It’s going to be epic, youse know. I had some friends, like, who came here two years ago, and they said youse have to do the full-moon party. It’s like a travelling rite-of-passage or something. Youse know what I mean, like?’
‘Umm, yeah.’
‘So, youse going, like? ‘Cause if youse are, we could go together. I’ve got some mates that should be here by then too. Liam, nutter, Ryan, he’s the smart one, seven GCSEs, and Adam, football mad he is.
A huge Newcastle United fan. He’s got Newcastle United wallpaper in his bedroom at home.
They’re off travelling at the minute, Cambodia, I didnae fancy it, but they wouldn’t miss the full-moon party. Knows what I mean, like?’
‘Yeah, I do, and maybe. I’m not sure what my—’
‘Can I join you?’ said a voice suddenly.
They both turned and looked at a girl, early twenties, pretty with long blonde hair in a red bikini.
The boy from Newcastle was beaming with a huge smile, and his pale northern English skin prickled with a sudden pinkness at her presence. ‘It’s Anthony, right?’
‘Aye, it is,’ he replied, as she sat down next to them.
‘I think you’re needed at reception. I was just there, and there was an issue with your room.’
‘What? That cannae be right. I was just there, like.’
‘I think you should probably check it out though. Don’t worry, we’ll be here when you get back,’ she replied with a warm, friendly smile.
‘Oh, aye, youse right. Won’t be a minute,’ he said, getting up and walking away, and the girl immediately turned to Max.
‘We have maybe five minutes. Do you want to get out of here?’
‘Sorry?’ Max replied.
‘Anthony from Newcastle. Geordie till he dies. My first day here, I didn’t know anyone and he wouldn’t leave me alone. I thought you might need saving. My name’s Abigail by the way, but all my friends call me Abs.’
‘Max,’ he said, and they shook hands.
Abigail was pretty with bright blue eyes, and it was clear she worked out or at least took good care of herself because she had barely an ounce of fat on her. Her dark tan suggested she had been in Thailand longer than Max, and she had a neutral southern English accent.
‘So, what do you say, Max? Do you want to get out of here? I’m taking a scooter up to a bar with the most incredible views for sunset.’
‘A scooter? I don’t know how to ride them.’
She laughed. ‘Don’t worry, it’s like riding a bike. I’ll show you. Come on.’
She stood up, offering him a hand, and he decided to take it.
He had only arrived a day earlier, and didn’t have any friends yet, except Anthony it seemed, and so he wasn’t going to reject her invitation.
Max’s worry about making friends in Bangkok was wiped away within hours of arriving.
After he had checked into his hostel just off the Khao San Road, he made his way downstairs where he met a group of people heading out to check out some local bars, and they invited him along.
There were people from England, Ireland, Scotland, Holland, Germany, and a few Aussies.
He spent the next week with them exploring the city, and when it was time to go, it was surprisingly difficult to say goodbye to them.
They had become his little family in Bangkok, but some of them were heading north, some to other countries in Asia, and a few south, but not to Koh Phangan.
He had their social media accounts and email addresses, and a couple from Ireland were heading there soon, so he might see them again.
Once in Koh Phangan, he had spent the first night alone, having a few chats at the bar, but it seemed quiet, and he was instantly worried about making friends again.
Perhaps Bangkok had just been a fluke, but now he was heading on a scooter up to a bar that had the most incredible sunset views with a girl called Abigail.
Max hadn’t ridden a scooter before, but Abigail assured him it was easy enough, and she told the people at the rental shop that he was an experienced rider, and before long, they were setting off together on their scooters.
Abs had changed into a pair of denim shorts, and a loose white top, her blonde hair tied behind her.
Max had thrown on a T-shirt, and a pair of flip-flops.
He was grateful to Abs for rescuing him from Anthony, who was harmless enough, but clearly could talk for England, especially about the full-moon party and anything to do with Newcastle.
They whizzed past some incredible Thai countryside full of palm trees and dense foliage, broken up by old houses and the occasional roadside stand selling drinks and fruit.
They passed fellow travellers on scooters, but otherwise the roads were quiet, and before long they were heading up a narrow single-track lane towards a bar called Amsterdam.
The hill was steep and Max had the bike on full speed, the engine struggling, but eventually they made it up there.
It had actually been quite exhilarating, and Max had loved the freedom of the scooter.
It was something he had read about before the trip, and knew he wanted to try while he was there, but probably didn’t have the courage to do it by himself.
‘Fun, right?’ said Abs as they got off, taking off their helmets.
‘Yeah, really fun.’
‘They have these scooters all over Asia, so get used to them if you’re going to travel more.’
Amsterdam was set amongst jungle, and it didn’t look like much from the front, but when they walked through the bar and onto the huge deck at the back, Max immediately saw the attraction of it.
It was incredible. There was a huge wooden deck with a pool in the middle, and there were small tables and chairs, comfortable seating and rugs, all looking out towards the sea.
The view was breathtaking, and Max stood for a moment, taking it all in.
This was one of the reasons why he had wanted to come to Thailand, to experience views like that.
‘Stunning, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah, it is. Have you been here before?’
‘Once with a couple of mates. They left a few days ago.’
‘And you didn’t go with them?’
‘Oh, they were heading north, and I’ve already been north.’
‘Where are you heading next?’
‘I’ve got a few more days here, then I’m heading back to the mainland, and south to Malaysia, before Australia. I’m doing my working holiday visa there, so I’m planning on staying for at least a year.’
‘Wow, a whole year away.’
‘Yeah, and if I like it, I might go for a second. If not, I’ll go to New Zealand, Fiji, South America. We’ll see. What about you, Max? What’s the plan?’
‘Shall we get drinks first?’
‘Yeah, great idea. What can I get you? Beer?’
‘Actually, I don’t drink. Just water or fruit juice would be great though.’
‘No worried, back in a sec,’ said Abs, and she wandered off to the bar while Max found them two chairs and a small table to sit at.
The deck area wasn’t packed but it was fairly busy with people just settling in.
It seemed like more of an evening place, and he could imagine it getting really busy as the night unfolded.
After a minute, Abs returned with a beer for herself, a bottle of water for him, and a glass of some sort of fruit juice.
‘He said it was their best fruit juice drink. A special blend, apparently.’
‘OK,’ said Max, who took a sip and it was amazing, like nothing he had ever tasted before. The fruit was sweet, delicious, and so much fresher than anything he had ever had before. ‘Wow!’
‘Good?’
‘Amazing.’
‘Cheers,’ said Abs, knocking her bottle of Chang beer against his glass.
‘Cheers,’ Max replied, sinking into his comfortable seat, and enjoying the view, while around him the deck slowly began filling up with people.
The whole place had a cool, travelling vibe, full of accents from around the world, lithe, young bodies, tanned, in shorts, bikinis, and flip-flops, chatting, drinking, and enjoying the moment.
It was a far cry from the after-work drinkers in London, huddled outside pubs in the cold.
Abs told Max about herself, that she was from Oxford, had just graduated from university in Cardiff, and had taken a gap year to travel before the inevitable return to England to get a job and settle down.
She had already been in Asia for two months, a month longer than she had planned, but she loved it, and didn’t want to leave.
She was excited to get to Australia though, and create a whole life there.
She already had a couple of friends living in Sydney, and she wanted to see how it went before she decided how long she would be in Australia for.
Although if her time in Asia had shown her anything, it was that plans changed quickly when you were travelling.
Eventually she was done, and she asked Max about himself.
‘What’s your story?’
‘Well, it’s complicated, I suppose.’
‘Intriguing,’ replied Abs, taking a sip of her beer. ‘Go on. Tell me everything.’
Max explained everything that had happened to him, leaving out some of the more personal details, but talking about his parents, run club, the sandwich shop, and that he had taken a three-month sabbatical from the BBC, and was travelling in Thailand for a month.
‘Wait,’ said Abs when he had finished. ‘You have three months off work, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you have money?’
‘Umm, yeah.’
‘Then why are you just travelling for a month? What will you do when you get back to London?’
‘Umm, well, there’s the sandwich shop. I can help out with that.’
‘But what if you didn’t go back, and instead went somewhere else.’
‘Like?’
‘Where else in the world would you like to visit? There has to be somewhere.’
Max thought for a moment, and the idea of exploring Australia while he was already halfway there, did sound appealing.
The thought hadn’t really occurred to him before to just keep travelling.
He had more time to travel after Thailand before he had to return to work.
His plan had always been just a month in Thailand, but perhaps Abs was right when she said that when you travelled, plans changed all the time and you just had to go with it.
The thing was, after this trip, after he had returned to London, he might never get the chance again.
The moment for him to travel with freedom, by himself, was then and if he didn’t grab it, he might regret it forever.
‘I like the sound of Australia. Tell me all about it,’ said Max, before he got them more drinks, as the deck around them filled up with people as sunset got closer and closer.
Abs told him that he had to see more of Thailand first. He needed to see a few more of the islands in the south, and then travel north to Chang Mai to do a jungle trek.
After that, he could meet her in Sydney, where she planned on spending the first month in Australia, and she would be happy to help him get settled, and maybe make a plan of things to do.
They talked and talked, Abs told him stories of her travels so far, and all of the things she wanted to do next.
Max listened, enthralled by her openness and desire to live life while she could.
She was seizing the moment, and it made Max want to do the same.
As the sun went down, everyone stood up and were taking photos with their phones, and with music playing in the background, it was the perfect moment. Max stood next to Abs, and he made a decision.
‘I think you’re right. I’m going to keep travelling.’
‘Good for you, Max. If you have any questions, just ask.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, I will. Maybe we can spend the next couple of days planning together, if that’s all right.’
‘Of course, no worries. Happy to help.’
‘In return, I’ll pay for all your food and beer while we’re in Koh Phangan. How does that sound?’
She looked at him and smiled. ‘I’m not doing it for freebies.’
‘I know, but honestly, it’s so cheap here, it will still be less than a good night out in London.’
She laughed. ‘Fair enough.’
After the sun had gone down, they set off on their scooters back to the hostel by the beach, to plan the next two months of Max’s life.
When Max had been on the beach earlier, listening to Anthony going on about the full-moon party, he hadn’t expected his life to change so quickly.
It was something that Max had come to realise over the past few months.
People could change you like a lightbulb switch being flicked, illuminating everything in the room when before it had been dark.
Robbie had changed his life, Hope, and Bethan.
They had all made imprints on him, forever altering the course of his life.
He had only known Abs for a few hours, but within that time, she had convinced him to keep travelling, and maybe that would alter his life in ways he couldn’t even imagine.
One moment, one decision, and everything after was different.
Max didn’t know what the outcome would be, and how travelling would change his life, but he knew it would.
It was the thing he was coming to terms with after the death of his parents.
Life was unpredictable, it could change in a heartbeat, sometimes it was forced upon you and at other times, you forced yourself upon it, but it was all life.
It kept going, no matter what, and so you had to just do your best to keep up, be a good person, make the right choices, and hope that all of that made you happy.
As he rode his scooter back towards the coast, through the diminishing light, the sights and smells of Koh Phangan like a powerful drug entering his system, he thought what a wild ride it had been since he had joined Common People.
He definitely wouldn’t have been there at that moment without them, riding a scooter through the jungles of Thailand.
Life was unpredictable, but Max felt alive in a way that he hadn’t in a very long time, and he didn’t want it to stop.